Shingles results when the varicella-zoster virus---the same virus that causes chicken pox---awakens within clusters of sensory nerve roots called "dorsal root ganglia." According to the American Academy of Dermatology, about 20 percent of people eventually develop shingles. Shingles usually strikes after the age of 50, although it can happen at any age, including childhood. Areas of the body affected by shingles include the skin, eyes, central nervous system and internal organs.
Skin
Skin represents the most common site for shingles reactivation, according to University of Alabama Medical School Professor Richard J. Whitely, M.D., in the 2008 edition of "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." After one to five days of tingling, itching, burning or soreness, a painful, blistering rash erupts, usually on just one side of the body. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke explains that the name "shingles" comes from the Latin word "cingulum," which means belt or girdle and connotes the virus' preference for the skin of the trunk and the back. However, skin lesions can occur almost anywhere, including the face, scalp, the skin lining the external ear canal and the genitals.
Eyes
Doctors use a special name, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, to describe shingles of the eye. According to opthalmologist Thomas J. Liesegang, M.D. in the 2008 edition of "Opthalmology," eye shingles results when the varicella-zoster virus reawakens within the ophthalmic division of cranial nerve V, also known as the trigeminal nerve. In addition to the characteristic skin lesions, eyes shingles causes redness and inflammation of the interior of the eye lid, the conjunctiva that surround the eye and the eye ball---or "globe"---itself. Eye shingles causes extreme pain and can lead to acute or chronic vision loss, warns Liesegang.
Central Nervous System
Shingles sometimes causes inflammation of the membranes that surround the spinal cord, the spinal cord itself or even the brain, notes MayoClinic.com. Symptoms of central nervous system shingles include sudden fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck or back and sensitivity to light. The presence of new clumsiness or unsteady gait, mental confusion, impaired judgement, irritability and difficulty waking up or staying awake increase suspicion for central nervous system inflammation, advises the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 23rd Edition;" A.S. Fauci et al. (Eds.); 2008
- American Academy of Dermatology: Herpes Zoster
- "Opthalmology;" Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus; T.J. Liesegang; 2008
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Shingles: Hope Through Research
- MayoClinic.com: Shingles
